Jasper Tian’s Reviews > The Reluctant Fundamentalist > Status Update

I felt worried about Changez’s future. The patriotism after 911 was gradually pushing his life to the edge, and the Pakistani family was leaving the elite too. I would be desperate if I were Changez because nobody would consider him a part of the country. In addition, I felt that his relationship with Erica would fail because she always misses her ex and only sees Changez as a close friend with an exotic culture.

I like the conversation when Changez tries to help the stranger understand the foreign culture. He skillfully compares Pakistan’s alcohol to drugs in the US, letting the stranger gain a common belief with him. Changez’s American experience definitely helps him to communicate. But I believe his skill in simile makes the whole time vivid and colorful.

When he was working in New York, Changez’s identity alternated between being an American, a member of Underwood Samson, and a Pakistani as an outsider. He also bonded friendship with a trainee, Wainwright, who often seems to be out of the group. This reminds me of the experience when I first arrive to the US, where I always looked for a characteristic person to make friends with in a new place.

Changez, a Pakistan student in Princeton, just faced a nervous situation in the interview with Underwood Samson. The interviewer, Jim, felt sympathetic to Changez’s financial problem. Even though Changez made a mistake in the calculation, he was still on the right track and got an offer. I have a question whether Jim hires him because his approach is correct, or Jim sees something of himself in his background.